two of them

two of them

a variety of meta knight incorrect quotes all at once since i was too lazy to make separate posts happy meta monday everyone 

(also was anyone gonna tell me meta knight goes to literal hell in one of the light novels or did i just have to find that out myself)

Realizing that I think I've read probably 80% of the High Republic stories is wild because honestly I thought I was barely halfway, but the stories go faster than I expect them to. There's a lot of good I have to say about the High Republic stories, they're surprisingly fantastic at all the moving parts of the story, that through books and comics and audio dramas and multiple authors writing all of it, it does feel like multiple points of view on a singular created universe, they really got their continuity shit together. They're also very easy to read, I can pick them up at any time, and while I have my issues with the whole thing, I will say that more than half of the books have left me feeling like I want more once I've finished them, that I'm definitely ready to pick up the next one. The issue I have though is that I cannot get over that the whole project feels like a palette swap of the prequels story--the Jedi philosophy is the same, the Jedi abilities are the same, the Jedi's interaction and treatment from the galaxy are the same (put on a pedestal by some, reviled by others, they usually make friends wherever they go, the political entanglements are almost exactly the same), the reasons they're drawn into a large-scale battle are exactly the same, the conversations they have about why they've joined this fight are the same, the technology of the era is almost exactly the same, etc. This works great for me in a lot of ways, because you couldn't have handed me a better example of why the Jedi were doing their best in the prequels and how they were good people, I couldn't have asked for anything more to demonstrate my case except for maybe a silver platter to deliver it all on. But it also keeps me from connecting with the story as uniquely its own, because how am I supposed to care about a character when they're so clearly patterned off Obi-Wan or when half the cool things about them are a nod to Mace? How am I supposed to get invested in a character when the majority of their personality is made up of quirks or that they're the bestest ever ever ever, rather than giving them any kind of bite as a person? I have had zero desire to read fic about any of these characters, which tells me a lot about how much I care about them as characters, instead of plot points. Would I recommend these books and comics? I think so, they're fun, I'm genuinely having a good time, but also at least half the reason I'm reading them is so I can quote them for my Jedi Citations project. They often lack any real bite, but that's an overall Star Wars books problem that's not unique to these ones and, eh, lots of people are super in love with these books and I can see why, it's entirely possible I just am too deep into Prequels Brain so I can't get past that basically half of what's going on in these books is a retread of the prequels' plot points and worldbuilding.

VBS event teaser commentary

Sorry for not doing this last month. Again. Yeah I know I'm doing it just before the actual preview drops who even cares.

As per the norm, the teaser is just based on the jacket art so there's not a whole lot we can learn there. We know that cards are sometimes based on the song though, so maybe we can guess something there. Personally this gives me a retro nightclub sort of feel, and I'm kinda surprised they haven't done something like that with VBS yet, doubly so when you consider the Gekkou teaser had a very retro feel (I'm grasping at straws atp I've wanted this for two years lol).

Okay, so actual plot predictions time. I reckon this will be another POU or LUTF situation where the event focuses somewhat heavily on a side character. Ah, well, less so "I reckon" and more "Break Down the Wall foreshadows that this event will focus quite a bit on Arata and Souma". Based on bdtw, I think the event is going to focus on two things which heavily overlap with Toya's arc: Toya's feelings towards music, and getting Arata to rejoin the group.

The game has drawn parallels to the relationships between Akito & Toya and Arata & Souma since POU, with Toya outright quoting Kaito's statement from pou about their similarities in bdtw. Toya is able to relate to how Arata feels because their experiences with their partners are very similar. Akito and Souma are the ones who got Toya and Arata into the street music scene and shared their dreams with the other. Because of this similarity, Toya is able to put himself in Arata's shoes somewhat. I'm writing this very late so this is not clear what I'm getting at at all. Basically it's about partners. Toya is the best one to try and reason with Arata, and it's probably why this was his job given to him by Ken. R Sound Design says the song has a focus on relationships between the characters, so to say this will be a big part of the event is not a stretch at all.

(TL by pjsekai_eng)

And connecting to that: Toya (and Arata's) feelings about music. Toya's bdtw chapter also focused a lot on his feelings towards music, and how he'd grown to love it again thanks to Akito and VBS after his bad experiences with classical music as a child. Once again we're right back to the partners thing. Toya talks about his feelings towards music in woao as well, which also happens to be the event where Souma explains the story behind Gurney Flap's formation, and how he was able to get Arata to love music as much as he does. The key difference between Toya and Arata's stories though, is that Toya was able to move on from the past and his trauma. Toya seems to realise that Arata's past is affecting him in bdtw, and Taiga also pointed this out in lutf. While his relationship with his family is by no means mended, Toya was at least able to start healing with the help of his love of street music. On the other hand, Arata is very clearly still grieving the loss of Souma as his partner, and it's what's been holding him back this entire time. I could easily see Toya having a heart to heart with Arata in regards to their feelings towards music and their friends/partners. In a perfect world they do what they did in lutf where they explained a lot of the RADder backstory but for Gurney Flap this time, but I don't want to get attached to that idea. I think at the very least explaning what exactly happened to Souma could happen though.

Oh and on the off chance this ends up being An5, it'll be about her feelings towards Kohane. As in, her insecurities that have been showing up since Bout for Beside You about Kohane essentially becoming too good for her. Like with Toya this was heavily foreshadowed in her bdtw chapter and cards, as well as at the end of kiuan over a year ago. Combine An's grief over Nagi with her insecurities over Kohane and Kohane carrying Nagi's spirit in the sense of her singing, and you have an event story.

Hii😄, could you talk about Alexander and hefestion's skills? Whether militarily or diplomatically, I heard that Hephaestion was better at politics, diplomacy and logistics, and that in some ways his and Alexander's skills complemented each other.

I'm always a tad amused when my own research is quoted back to me as a bit of general knowledge. 😂 That's not at all a slam, btw! I'm quite pleased it's escaped out of academia to become part-and-parcel of what people know about Hephaistion. Means I made an impact on rehabbing his career.

But yes, those things are true. I wrote about them first back in 1998, in my dissertation, then published it as part of an academic book chapter in 2010, titled "The Cult of Hephaistion" in Responses to Oliver Stone's Alexander: Film, History, and Cultural Studies, P. Cartledge and F. Greenland, eds. Complete with tables! Follow the link to read it.

I am now, some years later, returning to Hephaistion's career with the current monograph I'm working on. I've altered my opinion about some things (primarily details), and modified my take, but it remains largely the same. I've even convinced a number of my colleagues, so Hephaistion as logistics officer now appears in most summaries about him. Now, if I can just convince them he wasn't either incompetent or the quarrelsome bastard he's often made out to be.

He did have diplomatic assignments too, although he's hardly the only one. Erigyios, Perdikkas, Ptolemy...they were also used for diplomatic purposes. Plutarch (in a long contrast with Krateros) says ATG employed Hephaistion for business with the "barbarians" and Krateros for business with Greeks and Macedonians, because Hephaistion agreed with ATG's "Persianizing" whereas Krateros kept his traditional ways. From Plutarch, that's not necessarily a compliment for Hephaistion. It's also not stated so anywhere else beyond Plutarch. I have some theories I'll be discussing in the book.

IF we can take the disproportionate assignment of logistical/diplomatic assignments as any indicator, it would seem that Hephaistion was more skilled in that realm than in combat command. That isn't to say he was no good at combat command, mind (I've had some read it so, as if "not as good" = "bad" because middle ground apparently isn't permitted).

It also doesn't mean he wasn't a decent fighter. He probably was, as he seems to have been assigned to lead the agema (Royal) unit of the Hypaspists, e.g., the king's personal guard in battle. According to earlier accounts of the origin of this unit, Philip created them to cut across regional divisions, picking the largest men and best fighters. The agema was, if Waldemar Heckel is correct, drawn specifically from the sons of Companions (Hetairoi). That would back up Curtius' description of him as "larger in physique" than Alexander. (That's what the Latin actually says, not simply "taller.") But keep in mind, the best fighters are only occasionally equally good at command. Those are two different skills.

Finally, his choice as Chiliarch may also underscore some of what we've already seen in his assignments. But it's this appointment that leads some scholars to conclude that he rose due to Alexander's favoritism, not actual ability on his part. That, however, seems to me to stem from several (erroneous) assumptions.

IME, competent people surround themselves with other competent people, at least for any length of time. Flatters may be tolerated, but they're not continually advanced. It's dictators who surround themselves with yes-people (and not all of them; they also need competent individuals). Alexander may have been called a "tyrant" by the Greeks, but he wasn't. He was a king. The Greeks/Athenians/Spartans/Others were playing politics. Macedonian kings had to court their courtiers. If Alexander had been manifestly unfair in his appointments, his men would have rebelled against those officers. They rebelled...but not for that reason. They wanted to go home.

For those who regard Alexander (and Philip) as tyrannical, and/or the enemy of (Greek) freedom, and/or megalomaniacs, and lucky rather than competent, then sure. It would follow that ATG would surround himself with asslickers. But if one thinks he was actually good at what he did (which is a different thing from approving of conquest, mind), and a halfway decent politician--then no, it doesn't follow that his top officers were yes-men. Curtius bluntly tells us that Hephaistion was freer than anyone to "upbraid" the king. Doesn't sound like a yes-man to me.

I think Hephaistion was appointed as Chiliarch for two reasons: Alexander trusted him AND he could do the job. Too bad he didn't live long enough for us to see what he might have done with it.

Hello! I'm curious, do you know any good online sources for researching demonolatry? I'm pretty new to all this and I'm just trying to find some good information; if you don't have any that's ok, dw about it.

Thanks and have a great day :]

Hi there! I recently answered a similar question to this one if you would like to check that post out. It has a lot of good information on there, with resources listed too. But I do have a few ancient grimoires to provide as well! :) They can be a good start.

So sorry for taking so long to answer this btw!

↓ : Full Post Will Be Under The Cut : ↓

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A lot of the ancient original daemonolatry grimoires are available to read for free online, if you know where to look. I've linked them down below. Also just a heads up, most of them are in PDF format and might automatically download once you click on the hyperlinks, depending on your browser settings lol.

༺ The Ars Goetia ༻ . . . The Goetian Daemons are probably the most well-known infernal spirits in Daemonolatry, and a majority of them are very good to work with for beginners. . . . But something very important to note here; Please do not use Solomonic methods to conjure daemons. This will seriously piss them off! Solomonic conjuration methods involve binding, controlling, demanding, threatening, and manipulating daemons against their will, and it is very disrespectful to the Infernal Divine to treat them in such a way. If you respect the Infernal Divine, they will respect you. 🖤 . . . Some beginner-friendly Goetian Daemons I would recommend working with are; Asmodeus/Asmoday, Bael, Zagan, Paimon Agares, Zepar, Dantalion, Bune, Astaroth, Vassago, Stolas, Orobas, Ipos, Naberius, Forneus, Phenex, Buer, Marbas, Foras, and Valac. However if none of these resonate with you, that's okay! Personally, I think it's best to trust your intuition and reach out to whatever daemons/daemonesses you're drawn towards the most. .

༺ The Dictionnaire Infernal ༻ . . . The Dictionnaire Infernal is a Daemonology scripture that was written way back in the 1800s. I believe the Dictionnaire Infernal may have been inspired by the Ars Goetia. In fact, it's where a lot of the Goetian daemon illustrations originate from (drawn by Louis Le Breton, respectfully). This grimoire includes Christian and Biblical daemons, as well as "demonized" deities and daemonic spirits from other belief systems. . . . It has a few obscure infernal deities and spirits that aren't seen in many other grimoires, so I recommend it if you're into that! :) .

༺ The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum ༻ . . . The Pseudomonarchia Daemonum is what later inspired the Ars Goetia, and has much of the same information with a few key differences worth noting. . . . Prince Vassago, Prince(ss) Seere, Duke Dantalion, and Count Andromalius were not listed in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, but rather made their first appearance in the Ars Goetia. However, Prince/Duke Pruflas made their first appearance in the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, but were not added into the Ars Goetia. There has been speculation that Pruflas is the same daemon as King Purson, though this has never been confirmed. .

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Also I touched on this in the similar ask I linked at the top of this post, but I'll copy and paste it here just to make sure you don't miss this! I think this is very important to keep note of:

~ Quote [ . . . Please educate yourself on closed practices and steer clear of cultural appropriation in your personal practises. There are a group of people in the Daemonolatry community who appropriate the heck out of Jewish daemons, especially Lilith. Judaism is a closed practise and therefore it's only respectful to not incorporate Judaism into your personal practises. Appropriating Judaism is actually a form of anti-Semitism, so please be mindful and respectful of these things! 🖤 . . . I'm ashamed to admit this but I actually used to think it was completely fine to appropriate Jewish daemons last year, thanks to subreddits like r/DemonlatryPractices who would constantly try to push propaganda about Lilith being a "MeSoPoTaMiAn PaGaN GoDdEsS" and other excuses for appropriating her. That same subreddit decided to attack me when I merely mentioned (on a completely different subreddit, mind you) that I disagreed with them appropriating Lilith, and in turn I got witch-hunted so that's great lmao. 🤡 . . . Please avoid that subreddit at all costs, it's an absolute cesspit of cultural appropriation and passive anti-Semitism, and honestly they exhibit cult-like behaviour if you do so much as simply disagree with the appropriation of Jewish daemons. It's pretty disturbing... But yeah anyways sorry for rambling lol. . . . I'd also recommend avoiding people and organisations such as S. Connolly, V.K. Jehannum, Satan & Suns/Sons, BlackWitchCoven, The BecomeALivingGod Forum, The Satanic Temple, Joy Of Satan Ministries, The Order Of Nine Angles, scarletarosa (a user that literally exists here on Tumblr... yikes), etc. They engage in Jewish appropriation, and some of them even have ties to Nazism, racism, and other forms of bigotry too. . . . Some other Jewish daemons/spirits that you should avoid appropriating alongside Lilith are; Naamah, Agrat Bat Mahalath, Eisheth Zenunim, Samael, Abyzou, Shamdon, and The Grigori / Watcher Angels. . . . There are many other closed practices too, but if you'd like to do further research I can leave that up to you. ^.^ . . . Okay sorry about that huge ramble lmao, just thought I would get that out of the way before getting into the main post because I think it's an important point to make and I don't want you to fall down a cultural appropriation apologist pipeline like I did at the beginning of my practise lol. Xx . . . ] End Quote ~

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So that's pretty much it! I'm sorry if I couldn't provide much, but I hope this answer was helpful nonetheless!

~❀~ Baphometic Blessings ~❀~

-Kody

About me!

My name is Madelyn! I’m 20 years old, and I’m from the US. My roots are Italian 🇮🇹 which I strongly identify with lol

I also really identify with the INFP personality type (and Ennegram type 4)!

I truly believe if past lives were real, I would be a young and free girl in the 1920s. Something about that time feels so liberating and free. I’d love to spend my days wearing short beaded dresses and dancing til’ I drop, most especially, (as Daisy Buchanan would put it) I’d be a beautiful little fool

I LOVE period dramas and classic literature. Downton Abbey is my favorite show, I've seen in three times and counting. I identify as an old soul. I've always found myself connecting to older people easier than people my age because I think we have more in common. I also find so much of myself in classic novels, in the language and in the stories (Jane Eyre is my favorite novel) I also love old music, specifically Sam Cooke and Ella Fitzgerald.

A quote that describes me well.. “I like antiques. I like old things. I think I must be very old underneath, because I love beautiful old things.”

I also love quotes. I have a page in my notes app with too many to count. Probably over 200.

I love ENGLAND!! I love British people 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🫖👒!! Lol. I love the accents, the geography (English Countryside), I love their literature/authors (Oscar Wilde, Brontë sisters, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen..) their actors, and films and shows. Their culture. Literally everything!!! Sooo it would be an absolute dream to travel there one day! Seriously there’s nothing I don’t like about it.

I love Disney movies!! So healing to my inner child ☺️🥹 I feel simultaneously young and old at the same time, and feel very connected to both parts of myself. When I’m feeling connected to younger me I’ll watch kid movies and buy myself kids toys from the store that I would have liked as a little girl.

My favorite color is purple

I love sleeping, it’s probably my favorite part of the day, when I can cuddle up in bed and imagine scenarios of fictional men comforting me (send help)

I would die without chapstick

Anything artistic I’m all about. Especially unconventional things. I love people that have an unconventional look about them. Or things that aren’t quite perfect.

I’m very connected to nature, I love going on walks and soaking it all in. Sometimes I feel like I can hear the flowers whispering.

Okay another quote.. “I will forever be a hopeless romantic, and not just with people, but with places, things, songs, animals. I place my love into everything electric and soft, leaving my heart open like a rose to the beauty.” - Christopher Poindexter

I love people! Which is why I’m studying Psychology because it’s literally the science of human behavior and why we are the way we are

I am drawn to outcasts, and the misfit toys, since I’ve always had a hard time fitting in

I love deep conversations

I’ve never been afraid of myself and my own emotions, I’m always eager to deep dive into the depths of despair… I think tears always felt more real to me that a smile. It communicates something about who I am. What matters to me.

I don’t want to keep going on about myself so I’ll wrap up. Of course, finally, I love to write. I’ve been writing stories since I was a little girl. Words have always been a medium for me to express myself.. and frankly, cope with my life. I write a lot of melancholy poetry when I’m not writing fanfiction.

Last quote I swear.. “How many times have people used a pen or paintbrush because they couldn’t pull the trigger?” - Virginia Woolf

Dark, but in all seriousness I think art really is the best way of coping. Creating. It’s the best medicine there is.

I've been trying to design myself a tattoo for years now, and with my 21st birthday in 2 weeks I decided to go a completely different direction to see if I could find something I liked there. I ended up with this which I DO really love but I think it's probably too big and intricate to go on my shoulder. Mission technically failed

SYMBOLISM BREAKDOWN because im the type of bastard where all of my tattoos need to be meaningful

Butterfly. Tiger swallowtails used to be really common where I grew up as a kid, and I found them very beautiful. Butterflies are one of the only types of insect I can touch without freaking out. It's also the symbol used in Persona 1 and 2 to signify Philemon, who is a reference to the Butterfly Dream.

- This is notable because both Philemon and the Butterfly Dream of Zhuangzi fame reference the idea of multiple selves. The Butterfly Dream goes something like "I dreamed that I was a butterfly, and when I awoke, I knew not whether I was a man dreaming of a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming or a man". One of Philemon's opening quotes, and one referenced afterwards multiple times, is "Are you aware of the many and varied selves you harbor within you? The self suffused with divine love, the self capable of demonic cruelty... People live by wearing different masks... Your current self may be only one of many of those innumerable masks." Both of these feel relevant and important to my life - The butterfly's wing spots are drawn to resemble teeth and an eye to further slot into that Philemon quote, of both divine love and demonic cruelty within the self. Also because of my fascination with monsters and cosmic horror. And also because I was struggling so hard to draw the wing, and I realized that the teeth looked like a really cool way to compromise with myself on photorealism

Edelweiss. After doing some googling it seems like these epic fuckers represent courage and devotion, due to the harsh climates they grow in. Combined with the butterfly, I feel it represents confidence and love for the self. I have a commitment to the life I have made for myself, I value it dearly and I try every day to make the most of it.

The Wheel of Fortune is here in name only, but it's one of my birth cards, along with The Magician. I have a personal attachment to both those cards, and I plan to make The Magician appear in my other tattoo once I finally finish that design (I want it to have something to do with the white rabbit from alice in wonderland and the idea of a thing disguised as something else, how following blindly can be a mistake). I consider myself a very fortunate person in that I've always found help in unexpected places whenever I've found myself in trouble. I do my best to help other people in an effort to return that energy to the universe and the people around me. Also the designs for the Wheel of Fortune in most decks are very beautiful to me. It's my favorite card. I like the idea of leaving things up to chance because that's just what life is baby!

Lo (2009)

Lo. A story about a young man who faces off against demons in order to rescue his girlfriend- and is confronted with some uncomfortable truths. It rides the line between comical and outright campy, sometimes using that line as a jumprope, but still manages to tug on my heartstrings even though I've seen it probably a hundred times.

It's also weird as hell in some parts, both to its benefit and detriment, but I enjoy it all.

So get comfortable, keep your hands and arms inside the summoning circle, and let's get to the reviewing!

Review under the cut and as always, beasties and ghouls, there will be SPOILERS AHEAD!

This movie was made on a very limited budget, and takes place entirely in one location- the main character's living room. Despite the limitations of budget and locale, Lo manages to tell a very emotional story, and looks pretty good doing it!

(Side note- this movie, as far as I could determine, DOES NOT exist in HD form, and you know what? I think that's a good thing.)

The movie utilizes prosthetics for several characters, giving them unique and vaguely grotesque appearances; its also used when Justin, our main character, starts breaking down and enters into a conversation with his own brain through a wound on his hand.

The characters are what carry this movie, given its lack of flexibility in other categories as previously mentioned. We get drawn into Justin's struggle to command a powerful demon in order to save his missing girlfriend, and can't really help but laugh at Lo's wisecracks as it taunts its summoner and plays with his mind.

Justin is Just Some Guy, stepping out of his comfort zone and into the realm of the demonic and occult, in search of his girlfriend April who has been kidnapped by demons. He really has no idea what he's doing, but it's admirable how he keeps going, despite being threatened, humiliated, injured, and even poisoned. Even after he finds out his beloved's true nature, he still tries to bring her home.

April is, in fact, a demon herself, one of the murderous, vile, foul disgusting denizens of hell, unique among her people for being the only demon who possesses human emotions- the entire spectrum. She's the only one who can experience love, both the good parts of it and the bad. Other demons can't understand what love even feels like, and its shown that they're envious of this ability. (Though they'll deny it, of course.)

We get a musical number performed by the demon who kidnapped her (its name is Jeez, which I think about every time I use that word) that gives us her backstory, which amuses me and also kind of gives me secondhand embarrassment for reasons I cannot fathom. (It's called Demon Girl and you can find the scene on Youtube at the time of writing this.)

Lo, played by Jeremiah Birkett (who also stars as Bluebell the troll in the 10th Kingdom, another underrated early 2000s gem), is hilarious on first watch and compelling on additional ones. Its constant jabs at Justin, such as calling him 'Dinner' because that name better fits his future, make it likeable and blurs the lines of what evil really is. It's easy to forget that Lo, by its own admission, and I quote- 'will eat, kill, and rape anything, especially babies'.

The demon Lo does its best to dissuade Justin from his mission, suggesting multiple times that he dismiss it and burn the book like April had told him, which may be a hint to the twist that comes at the end of the film. Other possible hints include Lo using April's voice, going into details on what demons DO to people, and outright telling Justin that to call it disgusting is to call her disgusting, as they are the same.

Because they are. April is Lo, having fled Hell in the guise of a human, stealing a very special book- the book that Justin later uses to summon Lo. The revelation that they are one and the same seems to be the thing that finally convinces Justin that he and April can't be together, no matter how many demons he summons or how brave and determined he is.

I admit I had not clocked the twist on my first viewing, too caught up in the drama of Justin/Dinner vs the menagerie of demons (and the silliness of scenes like The Waiter putting on a performance while he makes a drink, shortly before he pours Justin's ACTUAL drink) to pick up on any of the hints.

I can't talk about this movie without mentioning the music. First we have the film's score, composed by Scott Glasgow, whose tracks 'Love, Misunderstood' and 'Love Theme From "Lo"' never fail to bring on a sense of melancholic nostalgia. Second, but equally as memorable To Me, are The Rondo Brothers, whose contributions to the film are their tracks 'Computers on Ice' and 'Ghost Patrol'. One of those tracks is fun and silly and the other one is played during the solemn ending, so of course it vexes and haunts me to this day.

I doubt the movie would have made such an impression on me without the music, but it's the dialogue that really gets me. We have comedic lines, like Lo accusing Justin/Dinner of being racist against demons, a solid 15 seconds of Justin muttering 'god damn it' repeatedly, and one of my favorites- 'Dude. Dude. I just heard you fell for the whole, "drink this and you can walk through Hell bit".' from Jeez.

There's also more serious lines that stick with me. Lo firmly stating that 'a demon should never entertain the notion that love is the answer to its question'. Justin pleading with April to stay, even after he knows she's a demon, by promising her 'Tell me you won't eat me and I'll make you my wife.'

The ending hurts in such a good way. Even after all he's been through, Justin doesn't get to rescue April and bring her home. Instead, he has to let her go, closing the circle and burning her book, cut off from her for good. Like most tragedies, there was no other way it could have ended.

Another thing I'd like to touch on is the creativity of using a stage performance to portray the flashback scenes, complete with 'actors', backstage crew, and some very expressive Comedy and Tragedy masks who are literally just people standing behind a curtain with only their faces visible.

And speaking of which, this is a movie that would translate very well to a stage, with the majority of the scenes consisting of Lo and Justin talking back and forth on the floor in a dark room, and secondary characters manifesting in various corners. (And a live version of Demon Girl sounds HILARIOUS.)

Overall I give this one 9 ghosts outta ten, as there are a couple things in it that it could probably have done without, but overall it's one of my favorite movies. No, it's not a scary movie, but there's a kind of horror to be found in knowing you love a monster, despite the monstrous things they've done.

Find the Word (Love Themed) tag

Thanks for the tag @randomfoggytiger! this looks like fun lol

The rules are simple, find the given words in your writing (WIP, Published, a college essay - it doesn't matter) or something close enough (I think conjugating verbs and finding synonyms are both fair game) share an excerpt, and tag some friends and some new words to play too.

Words for me to find:

Heart, Laugh, Gaze, Tickle, Tease

Words for you to find:

Hug, Kiss, Pine, Need, Swoon

---

Heart

From Driftwood Lullaby:

"As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts swam together, and visions of rose petals and snowflakes and hailstones shaped like hearts danced beneath her closed eyelids."

Laugh

From Sweet Kisses:

“So…” Mulder appeared to struggle for words. “It’s me after all, then?” Scully frowned, confused at the apparent non sequitur. “What’s you?” “Agent Scully is already in love.” Mulder quoted Padgett’s words, looking sheepish as he shuffled his feet back and forth. “I couldn’t think of anyone else it could be, but then I saw you with Brad…” “Oh, Mulder.” Scully pulled him into her arms. “It’s always been you.” He wrapped his arms around her tightly in return and pressed his face into her hair. They stood together in silence for a long time. Finally Mulder spoke. “So, should I go back and get those flowers out of the trash for you, or should I buy you a fresh bouquet?” Scully laughed into his shoulder. “Forget the flowers, Mulder.” She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Take me wherever you were going to take me, and then give me some real sweet kisses.”

Gaze

I actually found one in my Scully astronaut AU WIP! Lol

"As she walked, she looked up and found her gaze immediately drawn to a pale blue dot, barely visible to the human eye."

Tickle

I... don't think I've actually used this word in a fic before, ever😂 but let me see if I can at least find a synonym...

Well, onelook says that "thrill" is a synonym for tickle... not the first meaning that comes to mind but I'll take it lol

From Where A Million Stars Catch Fire:

“Do you have plans tonight?” Diana was asking Mulder. “I could come over to your place, or you could come to mine, and we could watch it again together.” Scully scowled and turned back to her computer, setting her coffee down a little harder than was strictly necessary. She was done torturing herself. If Mulder wanted to waste his time with that woman, it was none of her business. “Actually, uh… I do have plans, as a matter of fact.” “Really?” Diana sounded just as surprised as Scully felt. She took another sip of her coffee, doing her best to pretend she wasn’t eavesdropping. “Yeah. Sorry, Diana. Maybe next time.” Scully next heard the clacking of Mulder’s keyboard, and she was curious enough to surreptitiously turn around again. What she saw secretly thrilled her. Mulder was focused on his work with an intensity she had never seen outside of the basement, and he now appeared to be completely ignoring Diana, who looked utterly taken aback. “Oh… all right. Another time, then. I’ll, uh… see you later, Fox.” Mulder grunted and gave her a little wave, not looking up from his computer. Nonplussed, Diana turned away from him and headed back the way she came, which took her past Scully’s desk. Her eyes narrowed with apparent suspicion, and she nodded coolly in greeting. “Agent Scully.” “Agent Fowley.”

Tease

From A Most Owlish Conundrum:

She regarded him with exasperated affection. “What about you, then? What’s your threshold number of owls?” Mulder popped a sunflower seed into his mouth and cracked it between his teeth, spitting the shell into the door’s ashtray. “Um… four.” Scully frowned, nonplussed. “Why four? And under which circumstances?” “All of them. Four is the smallest of the unlucky numbers, so assuming a supernatural explanation for the owls, that’s probably when I’d begin investigating.” “I never took you for a tetraphobic, Mulder,” she teased him. “I have no fear for the number four, Scully, just a healthy respect.” His wry humor made her giggle. “This is a ridiculous conversation.”

Tagging @katy-kt-katie @tofuttim @doctorbeverlycrusher @keldabe-kriff @eighthprincessofheart @cipher-fresh and whoever else wants to do this! I think most of the writers I know have already been tagged lol

Ok but jpad has no emotional dept to his acting. Im currently studying acting. Like this is my college major. And when I say he has no depth, I mean he plays everything too hard. "The best emotion is suppressed emotion" is in acting 101 and he just does not get that. Jensen plays it bothe ways. Yes he can have clear emotions but a lot of time it's in his eyes or a nuance.

Then you've got Jpad who does the same thing every emotional scene. The same voice pattern for every line. The same eyes. The same... Everything.

And you'd think it'd get better with time.

Oh he's only 21, Jensen is 26, he'll grow as an actor.

Nope.

In fact.

I think he's better in the early seasons.

Come season 15 he still looks and acts like an immature college freshman just now with a beard.

Anyway...

Saw your post and had to share my own thoughts bc everyone I know thinks he's so good and I'm just HOW

Oh, hello!!! And thank you so much for the message; it's really interesting to hear from someone who has experience with acting as a vocation, instead of just from an observer's perspective. (I've done some acting --- in drama clubs and such --- but certainly nothing professional in any sense of the word; I have a sense of what is good/what works and what doesn't from an amateur's perspective, but the technical point of view you provide is awesome!)

I agree a hundredfold with your point about nuance: Padalecki's performance never really seems to have much. I mean, there's the occasional well-done gesture from time to time --- and I'll admit that the representation of Gadreel was sometimes decently good (largely, imo, because Gadreel was acted in a very earnest-bordering-on-deadpan manner... and, even then, I thought Tahmoh Penikett did far better) --- but Padalecki doesn't tend to do much other than cycle through the same basic Signs of Emotion. Indeed, he rarely manages to string them together believably, so it's more of a slideshow of "emotions" than it is an actual, seamless progression through them.

Your emphasis on sameness is precisely something I've tried (and, frankly, probably failed) to tell my friends of similar mentalities; I feel like you've put it into words admirably: he acts the same way whenever a specific emotion is needed. It's formulaic and flat. Anger = twitch jaw + flare nostril + (sometimes) a crinkle between eyebrows. Sadness = drawn-in eyebrows + squint really hard + sniff. "Compassion" = puppy-dog eyes + (what can only be termed his) Compassionate Face. It's like a math problem or something, not a real, human reaction.

I also definitely agree with your point about the earlier seasons: I do think that his earlier stuff was better. I don't know if he lost interest, gave up, or got cocky --- though I tend towards the last one, given his comments that (and this probably isn't a direct quote) "anyone could have played Dean" --- but his prowess, such as it had been, decreased sharply as the seasons went on.

I haven't exactly been subtle about the fact that I am very much a fan of Dean over Sam, so it probably should come as no surprise that I find his acting stellar. But Jensen is just a better actor in general. The nuance, like you said, is very rarely absent from his performances. Same with Misha; he's believable and realistic in a way that Padalecki never really is (imo). And yes, I recognize that some of this is personal preference, but I think there's just an objective difference between the acting of Padalecki and that of the other two.

Anyway, sorry for the long post... I'm sure you probably didn't intend to spark off a whole thing about this, and I doubt I added much, but I wanted to give your note the emphasis it deserved; your take is fascinating --- especially given, as I said, your experiences in the field --- and I also want to say thanks for sending it! I'm honored you reached out (and it'd be awesome to hear from you again, though no pressure) and I hope you're well!

2, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 19, and 40

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

already answered

10. at what point in the process do you come up with titles, and how easy or hard is that for you?

Very early in the process only because I have zero chill and as soon as that first chapter is written, it's getting posted. That's lead to having some fics that I wish I could rename because it didn't end up fitting the final form but... eh. It's all a learning curve.

Usually, I pull a quote out of the fic and that becomes the title (for the entire fic and the chapters), but I also like making puns or using well known phrases because I'm a fucking dweeb.

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

I don't do a lot of research. Anyone that hangs around this blog and reads these asks for even a minute probably knows that I write strictly for the vibes. Basically, I don't worry to much about it and, if someone corrects me later, I try to change it.

I did an unusual amount of research about spiders as background for Peter in Songs for the Zombie Apocalypse. Mostly around how spider eyes work and what specific spider Peter might have gotten his mutations from. Jumping spiders have eyes that can do both telescopic vision and see colors and depth in the same way that humans do. I originally had plans to incorporate this more (lots of head tilting to dial in the telescopic sight) but it didn't fit the word count.

Also, if you ever need to know about New York cities surrounding Albany in the 1930s, I've drawn up a map. For reasons.

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

already answered

16. where is your favorite place to write?

At home. I alternate between my desk and the kitchen table. I do genuinely enjoy writing in public as well (the library especially is fantastic!) but am hyper paranoid that someone is going to accidentally catch sight of a knife kink scene over my shoulder and call the cops.

18. what is your most and least favorite part of writing?

Writing is one of the few places that I ever experience a true sense of flow. The other being athletics which are frustratingly thin on the ground as an adult. I don't know, it probably sounds stupid to say that writing makes me happy. It doesn't make me happy but it allows me to get out of my own way sometimes which I fucking need.

Opening myself up for feedback is my absolute least favorite part of writing. It's why I usually don't edit (hope ya'll enjoy my sloppy first drafts!) or have a beta. Like, I write to get the fuck away from people and expectations, so it's EXHAUSTING when the writing creates those things in excess. I am terrible at taking constructive criticism. Don't give it to me. It will not end well.

19. what are some books or authors that influenced your style the most?

There are the authors that I wish would influence my style and then the ones that actually did. I grew up on a steady diet of very specific teenage horror and, the more I look back, the more I realize how much that probably influenced my work.

So, uh, thanks to Christoper Pike, I guess.

Beyond that, there aren't a lot of authors that I think influenced me. I found Chuck Palahniuk at a very special developmental stage for my brain and romance, as an entire genre, has (no shit) probably saved my life. Got to get the good brain chemicals from somewhere if you can't produce them yourself, right?

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

My fifth grade teacher, after grading a writing assignment, called my parents and convinced them to send me to creative writing summer camp. Maybe that qualifies more as praise than feedback, but it was wild to have someone believe in me that hard and go to bat for me just because she saw some potential in there somewhere.

(⚠️Spoilers ahead)

I needed this read so I'm glad to start this. It helped me quite a bit out of my slump as I find the pacing and writing easy to digest.

I didn't really know what to expect reading this book, and I had not realized that this was released in 2016. It did not feel outdated though, despite the trope of love at first sight. I ate that up.

It also took me time to finish this because of the demands from school, but whenever I pause and go away from it, there was this lingering feeling that the characters are just doing their regular things at the moment. And I miss that feeling, knowing the story is waiting for me.

As to the characters, I found myself adoring them all. Alex in my head shares the face of Emily Rudd, thanks to the hype of Netflix's One Piece . I usually try to create an original person in my head when I'm reading fiction but I let it be with this one because Alex suits her. And I appreciate Alex a lot and how she's always at the top of her game. She is aware of her disadvantages but uses her advantages much greater to compensate for that. Plus, her comebacks are just amazing.

I also appreciate that Daniel, her love interest, did not eventually come out to be a skilled agent or spy as well. He remained to be an ordinary citizen who just happened to have professional assassins and interrogator as his loved ones. And he gave them a path to have normal lives as well.

My only small issue with it is that the villains did not feel real most of the time, or the threat rather. Instead of a spy fiction, it does feel more like a romance and a found family story. I also had an issue with Alex not really having a specific long-term goal when she felt, to me, like someone who's goal-oriented and ambitious. Her objective in pursuing her career which is to save innocent lives, did not feel real to me. She didn't seem to be actively doing that, and only shown to do so when she's following orders. But I decided to take it as just part of her character in consideration of her upbringing and how she kept to herself for a long time. Having big dreams or life goals aren't probably imbedded in her head.

Overall, I just really enjoyed the ride with this one. The banters are funny and there's an intense page flip moment, which again, I missed feeling of. The dogs are also the best for me. I only cried once reading this book, and it has to do with the dogs.

Some fave quotes:

"I've never been drawn to someone the way I am to you, and I have been from the very first moment I met you. It's like the difference between...between reading about gravity and then falling for the first time."

"Sometimes you cling to a mistake simply because it took so long to make."

What do you want to see happen in this next season of Handmaid's Tale go

I've let this sit in my inbox for weeks because I wanted a lot of time to answer...

Because I have one (1) thing that I want this season

If it does not happen I will riot

Here we go....

We have gotten a lot of June and her daughters and Luke with his fight for Hannah/raising Holly. And we've gotten Nick protecting June a lot and a little bit of his love for Holly.

I want father/daughter angst with Nick and Holly. That is it. And when I say angst I mean ANGST.

How so? Let me set the scene

It's toward the end of season 5, maybe 3/4 of the way through. June has been in Canada trying to get Hannah back, dealing with Serena's BS from Gilead, and has possibly already survived one assassination attempt. There is rising tension and she is wondering if she will have to go underground but is worried about what will happen with Holly. It's starting to become clear that Holly is not as safe in Canada as she thought (thanks to Serena and Gilead).

Serena has ignited her campaign to have Baby Nichole sent back to Gilead. It's gaining traction, and causing hell for June in Canada and Nick in Gilead.

Then one day Nick discovers an actual kidnapping attempt is going to happen against Holly. It is like the scene where he is told to bomb Chicago x10000000000000000000. It's painful. It's angsty. It's the best scene of the season and makes amazing TV.

Now as for the logistics I'm not a TV writer so don't care exactly how it happens but Nick finds a way to save Holly. Maybe he covertly warns those in Canada. Or maybe he publicly refuses to help with the kidnapping attempt. Or maybe he purposefully intervenes so the mission fails.

I would be OK if it's an impulsive thing or a long and drawn out plan that he manages to execute and as a result undermines Gilead. Then he either has to rush underground or gets in trouble, which leads to Lawrence helping him go underground.

I have been sitting on this for awhile (since season 4 lol because I wanted it to happen then) and now I of course can't imagine season 5 without it.

But I think it would work to set up The Testaments, which we know the show is doing. Rising tensions against Canada/Mayday? Check. Holly's safety at risk making her have to go into hiding? Check. Nick being so far underground he needs a feeding tube (or whatever TT quote is)? Check.

I don't think viewers will ever understand Nick's allegiance isn't with Gilead unless something big like that happens, which is why the show needs to stop dragging on the morally gray thing.

It would mean Nick would basically have to make a choice... Keeping up pretenses with his life in Gilead/protecting his wife and household or protecting Holly and ultimately choosing the rebellion. It would force him to have to stop straddling the line and kind of living in both worlds. And I could see it being a tough choice, because protecting Holly will probably ultimately put his household in danger.

But that's what adds to the angst and narratively I just think it's really important to see Nick choosing Holly. Like June said in season 3, he doesn't have that many chances to "be a father to his daughter," and I would like to see him get that kind of chance in a way that makes dramatic TV.

Time to put your money where your mouth is by answering the remaining questions about Joshua in the ask game

im on it, boss <3 are you prepared?

3. A song that reminds me of them

Are You Satisfied? by Marina and the Diamonds. in my infinite hubris i tried to actually make a comic for him with this song once before i remembered i was bad at art :)

4. How many people I ship them with

hmmm probably only like 3? Neku, Beat, and Haz .

5. My favorite ship of them

Joshneku probably lol

6. My least favorite ship of them

honestly like any others than the ones i mentioned above but also i just don't really seek out a lot of ship content anyways.

7. A quote of them that you remember

Shopping is fun! The Game is better this way :) (<- he was too much for this)

8. Your favorite outfit of them

look this man only has like two canonical outfits so instead, im gonna pick my fave and least fave of the clothes items that give him specific bonuses in game. That being said, fave is of course the bunny parka. we all love the bunny parka <3

9. Your least favorite outfit of them

Probably Vernal Equinox. idk if aqua is a good color for joshua to wear realistically.

11. What’s the first thing you think about when thinking about the character?

this tumblr post:

13. Your favorite friendship they have

12. Sexuality hc!

His and Neku's friendship will always be my favorite, but i have to say that his and Mr. H's is also very very good and fascinating to me <3 and also, even tho it is not canon, i am a firm shiki and joshua eventual besties truther

14. Best storyline they had

i mean what else can I say, but that his whole arc in twewy is incredible

15. Worst storyline they had

they really just wanted to pretend that joshua didn't exist in neo until they couldn't ignore it anymore

16. A childhood headcanon

I do really like the fanon stuff about Joshua being musically inclined before he took on the role of Composer, but to me i always imagined it as him feeling drawn to musical instruments but not really being good at them. So to me, Joshua was definitely a piano kid, but did not necessarily take to it easily nor was necessarily good at it. But he loved just sitting there and plucking keys and could do it for hours :)

17. What do you think their first word was?

probably something simple like 'want' or 'mom/dad'

18. How do you think they were as a kid? (Like, were they shy, noisy, wild, etc)

Polite for all intents and purposes. Definitely a quiet kid imo. I'll be honest and say that i don't really dwell on how Joshua was pre-Composer.

19. The most random ship you've seen people have with them

i remember a weird period of time where i saw a lot of joshua and rhyme pairing stuff. idk if that was just me but it was bewildering.

21. When do you think they were at their happiest?

I really do think Joshua was having the time of his life in Another Day and playing Tin Pin, that is my truth.

23. Future headcanon

24. What do you think is a secret they have that they never told anyone?

hmmmm well since I've been thinking about it a lot, Joshua and Eri would also be really good friends after Joshua becomes more integrated into the main cast friend group and he is also the one to get her into Tin Pin

Post-Neo Joshua definitely just inserts himself into Rindo's life.

well it was his identity as Composer but well we know he told someone eventually. I guess I'd say he would never tell Rindo or anyone else wilingly that he was chosen as a proxy. I don't think Joshua would do that twice. I think in that regard he learned his lesson

29. How do you think they would be as a parent? (and if they are a parent, how do you think they would be if they weren't?)

I think its more I don't think he would ever want to be one. if anything the closest I think he's come close to is being a mentor figure, similar to what Mr. H is implied to be towards him. And while I don't think he'd excel at it I think he would do a good enough job depending on the circumstances. but uh given his proxies I dont think it should be willingly tested.

30. funniest scene they had

FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS ONE IN A PREVIOUS ASK IM SO SORRY

that whole scene where Joshua tricks Neku into going to cat street on day 3 was the funniest thing to me on my first playthrough and it still is one of the funniest joshua moments to me to this day lmao

his response kills me too

Thank you so much, Ma! And you're welcome, you deserve the best. Okay.. here goes ((long, I'm sorry (｡•́︿•̀｡)))

I was always told by my mother to not have a crush until the third grade, and growing up I took that to heart. Even when I reached third grade, I never thought of/looked at someone in that way-admiration, romantic attraction.

Lots of people had a crush on me while growing up, from elementary, middle school, the neighborhood kid, and highschool (Not bragging but is this considered living the Y/N life? (• ▽ •;)). But I didn't understand the feeling at all. I nailed my mother's words onto my brain and heart, even when I'm already passed the third grade.

Then I met this person, let's call them C. I got drawn to them because they played instrument really well (well they approached first) and we had the same interest, art and music. They were funny, has a weirdo energy, funny in their own way(in a good way). I met their partner and we became foodie buddies.

There was one time that made me feel off but it suddenly made my heart beat in a different way. When their partner wasn't present, I was chilling with them, talking about anything (I don't remember what we were talking about at that time), out of the blue C confessed to me that they liked me (romantically) and if they weren't with their current partner, they would have "married me on the spot" -in their words. The conversation didn't become awkward at least, but at the same time I don't really know what to say to that. So I just complimented his current partner instead that I'm certain they're much better (I was flustered on the inside, but I was oblivious back then).

They broke up, because of a certain incident (no it didn't involve me, so I hope you won't assume ><). I was there through their dark times, gave them comfort. I wanted to reach out to their partner too, but they blocked me.

Well now they're all better! They're striving again, they moved on and went on with their life and made those quotes of "never gonna fall in love again" and all that. C's partner was great! (I still miss them and our food talks).

One day, they told me they got a date and I felt so weird that time. I felt sad , hurt like I didn't want them to be taken away.. my heart felt like it's being squeezed painfully so. It was the first time I felt it, jealousy?

Some of my friends call me names that are mostly used for romantic partners. Like Love, Darling, Little Angel, etc.

C then started to call me a pet name (baby girl (ﾉД＼*)aa) too and I have never felt so warm before, I felt flustered. I am used to it from friends (and mother, she calls me Love), but coming from C, it felt different. Are they teasing me?? Or do they just feel comfortable calling me that?

I realized that I might be developing romantic feelings for C (or I probably already had them before, I was just oblivious), but I don't know if I can accept it. We're thousands of miles apart and I told C before that a ldr won't work for me, but I've always done anything necessary for people I care for, and for C, I might, if I could. I don't know if they still have feelings for me (most likely they don't). Besides, I do think it won't work at all, I'm traveling to the West soon for my future, chances of us actually meeting is pretty low. I'd like to focus on my future career first after all.

It felt right, but it was at the wrong time I guess. I just hope in the next life, they grows up in a better home life and maybe we could meet again, but we won't be so far apart anymore.

Why I'm afraid to confront about this to my mother is that... I've always come off as distant with a resting b--ch face (my friend drew my resting b--ch face while in class one time) So I don't really know how she'll react, she teases me a lot (I almost completely twisted an ankle one time and she made a joke about me having an arthritis. I told C about it and they laughed at me (ب_ب)). She'll probaby make fun of me or something. I face my own problems, so it never felt really necessary to tell her about this... so I am here, figuring out a way to move on from my (first time) feelings. It feels weird.

((ah I'm embarrassed haha (●´⌓`●)))

~Silent anon

Awe Silent anon!! First off, please don't be embarrashed! I can assure you this is a very common issues amongst ALL age groups! Relationships are hard, attraction can be really confusing as well! It sounds like C did have feeling for you (or perhaps maybe still does) but that circumstances didn't allow you to be together at that time. At the same time, now your life is changing and circumstances for you are changing, thus making it difficult for you to be together.

Long distance can be very hard and stressful and I don't blame you for not wanting to do it. Especially when you have all the opportunities coming up for you!

So I've always approached situations like this, if it's meant to be, it will happen. You'll keep running into each other or something will keep pulling you together. I'm a firm believer in romantic crap like that 😅

Also, it's ok to not get over someone you like. I still think about my first "real crush" and it's been 16 years since I last seen him 🤣 I doubt he would even know who I was now! It's perfectional normal and natural to have feelings and have difficulty moving on. Sometimes we just need time and sometimes we find something else to fill that gap that's left from that person. I think there's a chance you will probably think about C for a while and that's ok! Getting over someone can be hard but it works of one of 2 ways. Either you end up with them or you end up apart.

Thanks for sharing your struggles! I know how hard it can be to come forward but trust me, you are not alone on feeling this way at all! It's a part of being human and learning ourselves.

I hope this helps in some way!!